Jinn Part 9

The Scholar and The Philosopher's Stone

One year after the collapse of civilisation, a group of young scientists
fled Europe for fear of persecution and death at the hands of the
hoards of humans who blamed them and the machines for the collapse.
They ended up in a remote research base in the desert by the North
African coast. A large magnetic current had been detected many years
before but the source could not be located after any amount of
research. The previous inhabitants had left after fruitless tests and
no results.

The young scientists set about finding a way to reverse the shift in
robotic behaviour and control the core AI that was in control of
their directives. They had taken a vast amount of deactivated
nanobots with them to study and work with. These self-replicating
machines were the best choice because of their ability to multiply
meant that they had a nearly inexhaustible supply of subjects to test
on. Some of the group decided to continue the work on the magnetic
bubble in the area at the same time considering they had nearly
infinite time as well.

After a great many experiments, all had failed. The swarm of reactivated
nanobots still maintained some level of hostility towards humans.
Even after their behavioural matrix had been completely restarted,
they had some level of basic instinct that seemed to allow them to
function outside of basic control like an artificial morality and
consciousness.

One young German scientist, a geneticist and robotics engineer had a
theory that due to the Hive Mind formed at the creation of the
machines with the Global Interaction Network, they had developed a
pocket of conscious thought with the basic functions last updated to
them by the network. The hostility and hive mentality was the last
function to have survived. He set about a series of experiments in
which he would endanger a single member of the hive and see if they
the rest would jeopardise the integrity of the group to save one.
After numerous attempts with different nanobots, the results were
conclusive. The group acted as a whole and would rather attack and
invader than save one of their own.

This proved troubling for the scientists. It meant that their behaviour
was ingrained into their system too deeply to be purged from any
remote source. Only a direct command from the Global Interaction
Network could override it. That was deep in the heart of the Munich,
now infested with millions of robots and the toughest defences
possible. Created to protect the very building the scientists needed
to get to.

Upon discovering this, many of the group grew despondent and began
tinkering with lesser projects. The young German scientist took
solace in his discovery and began working at figuring out the
magnetic field anomaly nearby. He hoped it would perhaps help with
their current predicament. He spent several months tracking the
fluctuations and discovered a pattern in them, much like the shifting
global magnetic field, it moved in waves. It was cyclical and had a
clear pattern that he used to determine its approximate size and
location. It was far larger than had been previously thought.

He spent a week tracking down three possible locations for the source
and began excavating through the sand. One was in the middle of a
giant dune. Another was beneath an old ruined house. The final
location was beneath the very compound he had held up in with the
other scientists. He managed to persuade the others to help him in
his endeavour.

After just two days they had narrowed down their search to beneath their
compound as ever worsening sandstorms made it harder to work outside.
There was a basement in the complex and it had a thick concrete base.
Many were sceptical about digging through it, fearing it might
dislodge the sand and cause it to sink, but their fears were
quietened by a geologist in the group who erected joists in and
around the building shifting the load to the outer edges. Work began
and moved relatively quickly.

A further two days in and they had reached a solid rock wall, but a
faint echo could be heard if it was hit hard enough. The scientists
set about creating a machine to slowly drill through the rock so they
could pilot a remote camera through the hole and explore what was
beneath. It took three weeks for the machine to drill through the
rock. With bated breath the scientists lowered in the flying camera
on a wire and turned it on.

As the camera came into focus they discovered a secret, underground
city. The cavern was enormous and densely populated with ancient
buildings varying in size, material and style. Several eras could be
identified with the buildings. They had been built up over an
incredibly long period of time. The geologist identified them as
stretching over a period of three thousand years. Upon discovering
this the scientists set about widening the hole and exploring the
ruins themselves. Overcome with excitement they built a crude
elevator to ferry them down two at a time. The first two down were
the German geneticist and the geologist. Together they set about
exploring the myriad of buildings.

When the remaining group joined them they soon discovered a light source
was hanging in the ceiling just above the central building. A large
crystal was protruding through the roof and light was being refracted
hazily through it and in several directions. The group split up and
found several large metallic dishes that, when turned, directed the
light to even larger dishes attached to the roof and lit the entire
city up. It was colossal. As far as the eye could see it stretched in
all directions. They met on a large road that traversed the entire
city and decided to follow it.

It ended at a giant pit with large stairs lining the walls that led down
into almost complete darkness. They could proceed no further without
some better equipment so two of them went back to the compound to
gather gear and bring it down while the others explored a little
more.

Some of the group stumbled across smaller dishes that shone the light
directly down small holes in the floor which seemed to go on
indefinitely. They began turning the dishes so that light from the
larger ceiling dishes connected and lit up the hole. Almost
immediately a blinding light erupted from the giant staircase at the
centre. After regaining their senses they all rushed to the staircase
and saw that the stairs ended at four separate door ways and was
ornately carved all the way down.

The geologist of the group, a keen cryptologist and expert in ancient
hieroglyphic languages, spent several hours analysing the markings
but couldn't determine their origins. They showed similarities to
every early civilisation apart from several symbols which were like
nothing he had seen before. He persuaded the group to continue on and
let him work on the markings, they agreed and continued on through
one of the doorways.

They entered into a vast chamber as big as the city above. It was filled
with what appeared to be a forest, trees as far as the eye could see
with a giant metallic dome in the centre. A low hum could be heard as
the dome slowly rotated. Nothing else could be heard. The scientists
entered the forest and found the trees were all made of tiny pieces
of constantly shifting metal. Even the floor was a moving walkway of
shards of metal and glass somehow kept smooth. They ventured further
and further in, always heading for the vast sphere at the centre. The
dull hum became more and more unnerving as they approached. Some
stopped and turned back for fear of going insane. One by one they all
returned the way they came, all except the youngest of the group. The
German geneticist, Rheinald Steiner, persevered through the ever
increasing cacophony and reached the sphere.

As he approached it the humming stopped, the sphere stopped spinning and
a doorway opened up. Rheinald walked closer and found the sphere was
made up of millions of tiny nanobots, perpetually circling each
other, the humming was the sound of their tiny wings beating. He
stepped inside the doorway and found a tunnel forming, the floor and
walls were nanobots, slowly ferrying him forward towards a faint blue
light at the heart of the sphere. He walked towards it and the
hallway closed behind him with each step. The blue light grew
stronger. His eyes adjusted and he made out the faint outline of a
crystal. He reached out, his hands trembling and touched the sharp
edges of a warm stone...